However, to get access to the DHT in the first place, you need to connect to a bootstrapping server, such as :6881 or :6881. When accessing the BitTorrent network, for instance, you need to connect to a Distributed Hash Table (DHT, think of it as a huge round table where anyone can come and take a seat). However, Scuttlebutt differs from Bitcoin and BitTorrent because there are no “singleton components” in the network. Which in turn means there is no single company with control over the network. Unlike centralized systems like PayPal or Dropbox, there is no single website or server to connect when using decentralized services. Scuttlebutt is decentralized in a similar way that Bitcoin or BitTorrent are. What makes that possible is a decentralized protocol based on the mechanics of word of mouth. The unique properties of Secure Scuttlebutt (SSB) make it possible for digital information to spread easily even in the absence of Internet Service Providers (ISP) and the internet’s backbone. James has also authored hundreds of npm modules, such as Browserify, and is building a shack with his partner Marina on top of 300-year old lava flows in Hawaii.ĭominic and James are a few key figures in a community of eccentric open source hackers gathering in a social network independent from mainstream internet. Scuttlebutt was created by Dominic Tarr, a Node.js developer with more than 600 modules published on npm, who lives on a self-steering sailboat in New Zealand.ĭominic is often offline, but he’s still able to use a social network to communicate with his friends such as James Halliday (a.k.a.

It is also the name of a peer-to-peer system ideal for social graphs, identity and messaging.

Scuttlebutt is slang for gossip, particularly among sailors.

Scuttlebutt blog